Car-coupling



(No Model.)

B. H. MGOAUGHEY.

OAR COUPLING. No. 602,605. Patented Apr. 19,1898.

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NITED STATES PATENT QFFICEe RALPH H. MCCAUGHEY, OF CAMPBELL, CALIFORNIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 602,605, dated April 19, 1898. Application filed December 8, 1897. Serial No. 661,139. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RALPH H. lWIoOAUGHEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Campbell, county of Santa Clara, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Car-Couplings; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus or devices for coupling cars. It consists in the parts and the constructions and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a bottom View of a car with my coupling attached to it. Fig. 2 is a View of one of the draw-heads. Fig. 3 is a plan of the coupling being locked. Fig. 4 is a similar View showing it disengaged.

A A are draw-bars which are fixed to the cars in any suitable or well-known manner, and B are bumpers which abut when the cars come together and which may also form coupling-heads for the use of the ordinary link and pin.

My invention, as here shown, can be attached to cars of any description having the ordinary coupling-heads; and it consists of draw-bars C, fulcrumed to the main drawbars at points beneath, as shown at c, and in e such a'manner as to allow the bars C to swing horizontally and transversely. Each of these bars has the peculiar hook-shaped interlocking heads, which have their rear faces upon one side formed at an acute angle, so that when two of these bars are opposite each other these acute-angled hooks will interlock and hold them together. The meeting faces of these heads extend diagonally across the bars C, projecting about equally to each side of the longitudinal center.

The faces cl, which make contact when the cars come together, are shown as projecting below the line of the bars C, and the upper part of each has a longitudinal open channel (1 in line with the bars, so that when the hooks have become engaged each bar 0 will lie in the channel d of the opposing head and the pull will be essentially in a direct line. The faces 01, which come together, are curved so that the curved faces are diagonally disposed, and when two cars equipped with these couplers are brought together these diagonally-disposed curved faces first strike each other and separate transversely until the interlocking hooks have passed, when they are brought together by mechanism constructed as follows: Each of these bars C has projecting to one side the lever-arm E, with a bracing-bar F, as shown. From this leverarm a connecting-rod G extends rearwardly and is attached to a shaft H, which is fulcrumed in or fixed to the lower end of the bell-crank lever I. The arm to which the connecting-rod is attached is vertical, while the other arm of the lever is horizontal, extending rearwardly from the pivotal point J, which is at the angle of the bell-crank lever. From the horizontal arm of this lever a heavy weight K is suspended, as shown, and this weight, acting through the bell-crank lever, tends to hold the bar, C and the head D in approximately the line of travel of the cars, and as all these coupling-heads are thus held by the weights upon their respective cars it will be seen that when any two of them are brought together the curved diagonally-disposed faces (I will slide over each other until the hooked inner ends are passed, when the weights will act to bring the bars toward each other and cause the hooks to interlock as soon as apull is brought upon the cars.

If it is desired to disengage these couplers, it is eifected by means of a lever L, suitably fulcrumed on some convenient part of the car to be within reach of the train-operatives, so that when the cars are pushed together to slacken the strain upon the draw-bars the hooks on the draw-heads will stand in such position with relation to each other that either of them can be pulled to one side by the action of the lever, the holding-weight being correspondingly lifted by the movement of the bell-crank lever, and the cars can then be uncoupled.

This uncoupling device can be connected with either end of any car, and it may also be placed upon or connected with the top of freight-cars, or it may be so duplicated that the uncoupling can be eifected either from the top of the car or from the ground, as most convenient.

This coupling device can be attached to the cars without interfering with the couplers already existing, and one of the cars equipped with my couplers may be thus coupled to another having the ordinary form of coupler without special arrangement.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a car-coupling, the combination of draw-bars pivoted at the rear ends and adapted to be moved about their pivotal points, said bars having heads projecting about equally to each side of the longitudinal center and said heads having rear faces formed at an acute angle whereby when two heads come together said inclined faces interlock, said heads-also having a longitudinal open channel 61 a suspended weight back of each of the draw-bars and connections between the same and the draw-bar whereby when the bars are moved to one side the weight is lifted, said weight acting to return the bars and bring the heads into line.

2. In a car-coupling, draw-bars fulcrumed and movable to and from each other in a horizontal plane, diagonally disposed meeting faces whereby the heads are separated to pass each other when they contact, hook-shaped projections upon the rear of said heads adapted to interlock when the bars are again brought into line after the heads have passed each other, bell-crank levers having the angles fulcrumed, a weight suspended from a horizontal arm of the lever and connections between the vertical arm of the lever and the hinged draw-bar whereby the weight is lifted when the bars are moved to one side for the purpose of coupling or uncoupling, and acts by gravitation to swing the draw bars and heads into line when the weight is released.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my 40 hand.

RALPH H. MCCAUGHEY.

itnesses FRED J. Low, J. O. L. MEINZER. 

